I’ve come to prefer collections over single issues and these were a few of the titles I’ve been meaning to pick up for a while.

Chew: Police detective Tony Chu uses his cibopathic abilities to solve crime, deriving psychic sensations from whatever he consumes. As a foodie, how can I NOT check this one out.

Secret Six: Gail Simone’s awesome re-launch follows a team of calculating yet colorful and charismatic villains who take on the missions those other super groups would never dream of tackling.

The Walking Dead: Enjoying the series on AMC? Well, check out the comic book that inspired it. It’s even better.

Maus: A Survivor’s Tale: In this Pultizer Prize-winning work that took thirteen years to complete, the author uses metaphor to tell the tale of a Jew living in Poland under Nazi rule. Considered among the greatest graphic novels of all time.

All quiet on the Stargate front as the cast and crew head their separate ways to work, enjoy the holidays, and await word on a potential third season. Meanwhile, post-production continues (as Kerry, our post-production coordinator will frequently remind us) with Day 1 Mixes of Deliverance and Twin Destinies, and a Day 2 Mix of Alliances on deck. And, given the way the schedule looks to be playing out, I’ll probably be receiving delivery of the Day 1 Mix of The Hunt at The Imperial Hotel in mid-December.

Today’s weird food purchase of the day comes compliments of blog regular Laura who spotted a package of Astronaut Ice Cream at the U.S. Space Camp gift shop and thought of me. Thanks, Laura.

My Snow Monkeys managed to eke out the closest of victories last weekend, beating rival Tio’s Juice Monkeys by a measly six point margin. Still, a wins and win, and this puts my Snow Monkeys at 5-2 since starting the season 0-3. Tough match-up ahead this weekend versus Ian’s Lightning. I’m not enamored of either of my QB match-ups (an underwhelming Matt Schaub at home against an improved Titans D, and Matt Ryan at home against a tough Packers D), but will go with the hot hand and start Ryan. My RB starts are no-brainers: Houston’s phenomenal Arian Foster will be picking up slack this weekend by running up and down that field, while the 49ers Frank Gore will rebound off a disappointing game last weekend to trample the Cardinals on Monday Night. My kicker, the Titans’ Bironas, is battling a groin injury but should be okay to start. I hope. Not loving either my TE (Balitmore’s Heap) or Defense’s (Ravens) chances this weekend and hoping the wide receiving corps will pick up the slack. Donald Driver and Santana Moss have been slowed by injury while Seattle’s Mike Williams is nursing a mystery injury of his own (that, if rumor is to be believed) could keep him out of action beyond this week. That leaves me with four candidates to choose from. Who should I start? The Cowboys’ Dez Bryant (has been on fire but is up against the #1 ranked pass defense in the Saints), Percy Harvin (despite nagging injuries, migraines, and having Brett Favre as a quarterback, he consistently puts up the big numbers – and the fact that they’re playing the Redskins’ porous pass offense helps), Danny Amendola (Sam Bradford’s go-to-receiver will be up against a cranky Broncos’ D in Denver), and Steve Breaston (ever dependable even with Anderson throwing to him). Or, I could snap up a couple of the receivers I’ve been eyeing on the waiver wire. Thoughts?

Snow Monkeys Rule!!!

Mailbag:

Nathan writes: “The kind of aliens that would put people back with their friends and kind of family, knowing they’d just die. How horrible is that!?!?”

Answer: The aliens didn’t know they would just end up dying again. They assumed they had “fixed” them.

Ponytail writes: “If they are all dead now, either the baby is too or it was never there.”

Answer: Considering Caine had no knowledge of baby Carmen, the latter theory seems to hold more weight.

Jason writes: “So the events in tonights episode directly contradict T.J.’s vision. However, her vision had a strong sign/prediction suggesting it was true (the nebula). Will this ever be resolved in the series, or is it left to the viewer to decide?”

Answer: Well, given Destiny’s ability to detect cosmic phenomena (see next episode), one might assume the ship fashioned the vision in a way that it would appear true to T.J. in order to spare her the pain of losing her daughter. Either that or there’s more to the vision than everyone assumes.

Mimi writes: “Even more appropriate: your gf goes away for no discernible reason (It’s not you, it’s me?), but her uncle tells you this cousin with the same last name might be nice for you based on past interests. But you discover your time with her is dark, unfunny, and lacking in the empathy and fun you had with your ex. This gets expressed in various ways–some polite, some not, but definitely recurring two years in. The uncle says this is what you have, and you can either date her or go away. But first they’re going to beg you to get your family and friends to date her so she has more friends and will continue to hang around. The reasonable side of you says, fine, keep her around, I just don’t have to date her. But the main part of your heart keeps hoping your gf will come back at least for a short holiday so you can have some closure to the relationship. Because while the gf and the cousin share a last name, it’s by marriage, not blood.”

Answer: And then you proceed to stalk the cousin, call her names, and wish her dead. The end. (P.S. “The reasonable side of you says, fine, keep her around”? The REASONABLE side?).

Valaur writes: “At the end of ‘Visitation’, we see that Kane in fact does live to tell the tale rather than die like his fellows. Or does he?”

Answer: He doesn’t.

Valaur also writes: “You have mentioned before that SGU was brought forward to the network knowing what the end game was going to be. Based on ratings of course, what is the furthest extent that you’re willing to go to tell Destiny’s story? 6 seasons? 10? 4?”

Answer: I didn’t find Caine to be either touchy-feely or flighty. He was a clearly a man of science whose outlook was informed by his faith. Like you, his beliefs did not preclude him from accepting the logic of science. Ultimately, when faced with an inexplicable otherworldly scenario, he chose to trust in God rather than the mysterious god-like powers of benign aliens. And, in the end, even if the latter explanation proved more likely, he remained steadfast and strong in his faith. I found that admirable rather than a show of weakness.

Star Platinum writes: “With the discovery of Destiny’s bridge by the rest of the crew, will there be any more of those great scenes by Rush/Gloria & Franklin?”

Answer: Rush turned off the neural link in Trial and Error. If he or anyone started seeing Gloria or Franklin again, it would be cause for concern.

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